PROCAT – VR Assessment Tool

Make Real developed a series of VR experiences to enhance learning within Apprenticeships.

Overview

Having been selected as one of five digital centers of excellence by the UK government, Prospects College of Advanced Technology (PROCAT) approached Make Real to assist them with securing a local education grant fund to create a series of digital VR applications, as part of their NVQ Level III apprenticeship assessment system.

The objectives were clear from the beginning: create impact, provide virtual practical assessments and have measurable impact. In order to achieve these objectives, Make Real worked collaboratively with learning specialists and tutors from the college to create effective, evidence criteria providing experiences.

Challenges

To overcome the challenge of not having expertise in the areas of training, Make Real sat down with subject matter experts and tutors to learn and understand what is required for accessing pupils for training, within the chosen fields the electrical, plumbing and air-con and refrigeration maintenance courses.

With VR being a new area of technology for many, the experiences had to built to be easy-to-use and intuitive for both tutors and pupils alike. This resulted in the first designs of our now standard template for virtual toolkits for effective access to content-aware assets. To help with the transition, we ran workshops equipping tutors with the basics of operating this technology.

Impact

PROCAT and Make Real have now entered into partnership, based upon the initial deployment success in Basildon, Essex, to resell the Digital VR Applications to other learning institutions. The first deployment based upon this partnership will see the VR system installed into HMP Chelmsford, in a ground-breaking approach to prisoner training and certification.

This project won “Best Use of VR for Education” category as part of the ‘Virtual Perceptions – Immersive Perspectives’ awards in 2017 and was also shortlisted for the VRBound – VRAwards 2017’ “Best Education VR Experience”.